IT spinning out of control from consumerization

More so than ever, IT departments are losing control of the computing environments at their companies, thanks, in part, to renewed focus on enterprise mobility, according to a new Forbes report.

When it comes to mobility, companies are dealing with consumerization and how to best support the multitude of mobile employees. Both trends are demonstrating the needs for mobile device management and mobile application management.

"Once you determine what should become mobile, then a whole new practice of mobile device and application management must be developed," Dan Woods wrote for the news provider. "Most companies are just at the beginning of this journey."

As for consumerization, the rising popularity of Android-based devices and the iPhone means that end-users are now bringing their smartphones and tablets from home. This bring-your-own-device model requires tight control, or else companies may suffer the consequences of security and cost.

According to a recent InfoWorld report, the acronym BYOD may be an IT manager's worst nightmare. To mitigate security risks, many are applying wipe and lock capabilities, as well as GPS tracking and fencing on mobile devices.